6 Benefits of the HUMC Preschool Reading Challenge

The theme for the 2016-17 reading challenge is All-Star Readers. Here are 6 reasons why the reading challenge is important to your child. Beyond the stickers and prizes, the reading challenge gives you and your child the opportunity to actually boost your child’s learning potential simply by making books an integral part of your daily schedule. While we know that all of our parents are reading to their children, it seemed like a fun idea to share the top 6 reasons why we want you to read, read, read!

Reading is Quality Time

Reading with your child promotes cuddle time. A time when you are able to slow down and spend time focusing on just the two of you and the wonders of the printed word. We know that it is impossible to be watching TV, gazing at your smartphone, or the computer when you are reading to your little one. Reading is a special time that you can nestle into the couch or bed and just enjoy a bit of quiet time.

Reading Improves Listening Skills

Reading aloud gives children the opportunity to practice listening. The ability to listen and follow instructions are crucial skills in creating a successful kindergarten experience. Teachers will be verbally providing instruction, with the expectation that the children will be able to cooperate and act upon those instructions in an appropriate manner. When reading to your child, you are essentially developing their attention spans.

Reading Develops a Child’s Imagination.

Following the characters and plot of the story helps to develop your child’s imagination. The text and illustrations allow your child to travel to different places and imagine what may happen next. Allow your child to explore the illustra-tions prior to turning to the next page. There is much to explore.

Reading Aloud Helps Children Acquire Early Language Skills.

Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity leading to language development. Among other things, reading aloud builds word-sound awareness in children, a potent predictor of reading success in later years.

Reading Aloud Builds a Strong Foundation for Academic Excellence.

When reading to your child, you are not only boosting their language development, but you are also laying the foundation for a higher aptitude for learning in general. Children who have been read to frequently, and have been exposed to a variety of books are more likely to succeed in other areas of school. The idea being that if a child is struggling to recognize words and put together sentences, math, science and social concepts will be more difficult as well.

Reading Makes Your Child an All-Star

It is never to late to start the reading challenge. If you have lost your child’s reading list, simply come to the office. We would be more than happy to give you a new set. If you are struggling to write down the titles, you have our permission to simply draw a line through the number of books that you have read with your child. We simply want you to read, because we know that READING MAKES YOU AN ALL-STAR!